MJ Fantasy- Traveling Soldier

Ch. 25

“Momma what’s wrong with baby Noah?”

I smile down at my son and shake my head. “Baby Noah is just hungry sweetie. Now finish your breakfast and go get your backpack. Emma, Michelle you too.”

Michelle looks up from her phone, looks at me than Michael than back at her phone. Shaking my head, I allow myself a smile. Ever since we got her a phone, she rarely talks and when we separate her from her phone she acts like it’s the end of the world.

Michael hates her attitude while I find it amusing at some points, but it gets very annoying. “Michelle your mother just told you to do something.” He reprimands her when she doesn’t move and continues to text. Emma and Daniel are long gone having ran up the stairs. I shake my head and sit down next to him. “Let her be.” I tell him taking a blanket from the diaper bag behind me. Placing it over my shoulder I start to breastfeed Noah. Michael wants to protest, but when I send him a stare he knows to never play with me. He shuts up.

I smile at him and turn to the twins who have ran back down the stairs with their backpacks on. “Finish?” I ask. They nod. Emma and Daniel nod and place their empty places in the sink. I look at Michelle and raise an eyebrow. She nods her head without even bothering to look at me.

I stare at her until she finally looks up at me a couple minutes later, “What?” she asks annoyed.

Using my free arm I gesture towards the stairs. Sighing she stands up unwillingly and trudges upstairs. I take a deep breath and lean back in my chair feeling an arm wrap around me. “It’s alright, she’s a teenager. They… act like this. I wish they didn’t, but they do.” He kisses my forehead and looks down at Noah through the blanket. “Hi my princess.” She smiles up at him as she drinks and closes her eyes contently.

Michael leans back then just to stare at me. I look over at him and smile, “What?”

He shakes his head and gives my lips a peck. “Nothing you just look so beautiful when you breastfeed. Of course, your beautiful all the time.” I blush and look away from Michael’s eyes.

Switching breasts I look over and find Daniel carrying his skateboard and Emma her sketch pad. Michael stands up and walks over to the twins. Emma immediately wraps her arms around his waist. Emma is a total daddy’s girl, there’s no doubt about it. Daniel, as he says it, prefers to not choose, but anyone can clearly see he enjoys his dad’s company more than mine. “Ready to go?” Both of them nod and look up at the stairs waiting for Michelle. As expected she isn’t going to come down until Michael or I call her.

When Noah is done eating I take off the blanket, clean her up and begin to burp her as I make my way to the stairs. “Michelle Josephina Jackson! Get your butt down here now, or your going to make your siblings late for school! Yourself as well.”

She comes down after two minutes and stands in front of Michael. “Ready Michelle?”

“Yep, let’s go.” She pushes past us and walks out the door with the twins following closely behind their big sister.

Michael takes a deep breath, rubs his temple soothingly than leans down to kiss Noah’s forehead. “See you later my princess. Daddy will be back soon.” He looks up at me and kisses me. “See you later.” I smile up at him and nod my head, “And if I’m correct is assuming that Bella and Rose are taking you and Noah to the mall for some ‘Girl Time.’” He ask putting quotation marks around girl time.

I nod my head laughing, “Yeah, they are coming around 10 . We are doing some shopping, than lunch and after do some more shopping before we have to go and pick up the kids from school.”

“good your occupied for the rest of the day.” I look at him in confusion until I realize why he’s acting like this.

Today is the day Jacob was released from prison.

I was nervous at first, but then reminded myself that Michael and I moved for a reason with my family trailing behind. I didn’t want to have to make their lives change, but they insisted that family stuck together and it was no big deal. I couldn’t go back to that same house where the man who hurt me spent the first 5 years of Michelle’s life with me. It was too painful when I entered that house again. I couldn’t stand it. Michael and I immediately started looking for a house to buy that wasn’t in the same state as… him.

I reach up and caress Michael’s face and pull him down for another kiss closing my eyes. When we pull away I whisper in his ear, “I love you.”

“I love you too.” He kisses my cheek than he’s gone from my grasp. I hear the door close and I know he’s gone.

Opening my eyes I look down Noah. “Hi sweetie. Looks like it’s just you and me again.” She looks up at me and gives me a cheeky smile sucking on her hand.

I giggle and shake my head walking away from the living room and upstairs. I have another three hours before the girls get here, might as well take a nap. I place Noah in her crib after entering her room and watch her fall asleep peacefully with a full belly. That will keep her asleep for a few hours. Enough for me to get two hours of sleep and to get ready for the mall. Once she’s fully out I lean down, plant a kiss son her forehead than turn to leave.

I stumble back in surprise.

Oh… my… god…